Passive voice

Functions of the passive voice

The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence.

Examples

The passive voice is used frequently. (= we are interested in the passive voice, not in who uses it.)

The house was built in 1654. (= we are interested in the house, not in who built it.)

The road is being repaired. (= we are interested in the road, not in the people who are doing the repairs.)

Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don't know or do not want to express who performed the action.

Examples

I noticed that a window had been left open.

Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.

All the cookies have been eaten.

My car has been stolen!

The passive voice is often used in formal texts. Switching to the active voice will make your writing clearer and easier to read.

Passive

Active

A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words.

A few well-chosen words convey a great deal of meaning.

Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.

A mass of gases wrap around our planet.

Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways.

The city disposes of waste materials in a variety of ways.

If we want to say who or what performs the action while using the passive voice, we use the preposition by. When we know who performed the action and are interested in him, it is always better to switch to the active voice instead.